The Cat's Meow
by Carboncreature
Summary: It all started with a fight. Akira and Morgana get in a heated argument and wish to be in each other's shoes. Who would have thought it would really happen? Cat!Akira, Human!Morgana Fluff piece with fluffy cats.
1. Chapter 1

**I haven't written a fanfiction in... 5+ years? Maybe? God it's been a while.**

 **Had this idea stirring in my head for a bit, and I think I have something at least substantial enough to make a short story out of.**

 **This won't be anything long, probably 5 chapters at most? I'd like to keep it short and sweet.**

 **This is mostly a cute fluff fic, nothing too serious, so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **This takes place in early December, after the last palace but before the 24th, so be warned there may be spoilers for anything up to December!**

 **(Also, I apologize in advance, I haven't had to really write much for at least 2-3 years now, so I might be a bit rusty ;w;)**

It all started with an argument, and a pretty pointless one at that.

Akira, in hindsight, didn't really mean to say the things he did to his closest companion, but the effects of their little spat still weighed on him, his irritation driving him to get some fresh air. The cold air bit at him but he hardly noticed, he had too much on his mind, thinking back to his earlier dispute.

 _He weakly let the door to Leblanc shut closed behind him, the bell's light chime ringing through the small café. Akira barely acknowledged Sojiro as he passed, giving a grunt of affirmation to the owner's gruff "Ah, you're back". He trudged up the stairs and at the landing chose to drop his bag to the floor instead of placing it in its usual position atop its perch. Morgana yowled in annoyance at the rough treatment._

 _"Hey! Warn me before you drop me okay? That hurts!" He shook his rumpled fur and padded over to his bedside where Akira had flopped down, obviously tired from his day out. Morgana huffed, annoyed at the boy ignoring his complaints. Vibrations alerted him to the texts of the group chat. He slipped his phone from his pocket and lazily scrolled through the messages before letting the device fall from his hand to the bed._

 _"You listening? Hey! Earth to Akira!" The boy blinked, then focused his attention on his friend._

 _"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to be so rough." Akira responded, sitting up and choosing to rest his back against the wall. Morgana sighed._

 _"It's okay, just don't be so careless next time." Morgana hopped up onto the bed, curling his tail to rest before his paws. He made to start grooming himself when he sniffed the air, smelling a foul scent._

 _"Oh man, you reek! What did you do to smell so bad?"_

 _"You know, the usual. Working jobs here, helping the odd ex-yakuza member there." He chuckled. "Didn't get the chance to take a shower, not all of us can just lick ourselves clean like you can." Morgana scoffed at this._

 _"Hey, it's not as easy as it looks! Being stuck as a cat in this world isn't all that great you know, I can't just go anywhere and do anything like you can." Morgana growled out. It was Akira's turn to be annoyed. He'd had a long, miserable day._

 _"Like being a human is all that easy either. You get to lounge around all day. I have to actually go out and be a 'productive member of society'"._

 _"Oh really? Tell me how much easier I have it, Akira." Morgana questioned. Akira's head, already throbbing from the commotion of the tiring day, pounded. His emotions and thoughts bubbled up and began to spill out._

 _"Come on, where do I begin? You don't have societal obligations, or school, or the pressure of others around you. You can get by without those needs. I wouldn't need to watch myself constantly, or go into hiding if I was like you, Morgana! I wouldn't need to deal with people shunning me, calling me slurs, or-"_

 _"Really? You think I don't have to deal with those things either? I'm not just some stupid cat, Akira! What's gotten into you?" Morgana chastised, confused at the sudden outburst. Akira ran his hands through his hair in frustration, grasping at strands in an attempt to make the aching in his head subside._

 _"I would kill to be in your position Morgana, you have it so much better than I ever will." Morgana bristled at the last comment._

 _"You really think my life is that great? That I'm not jealous of what you have? You're being completely ridiculous Akira! So what a few people said some mean things to you-"_

 _"A few?" Akira interjected._

 _"If I was in your position why would I care what some random people think? I could go so many places; do so many things." Akira abruptly stood up, frustration getting the better of him. He threw his hoodie back on, ignoring Morgana's sharp mew of surprise. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"_

 _"I need some air." Akira muttered, already heading down the steps. Sojiro had already headed home for the night, the cozy café shrouded in a blanket of darkness. Akira stepped out into the brisk December air, the chill making him shiver and blow out a plume of wispy breath._

Thinking back on it, the argument had been rather silly. The stress from the day had weighed down on his mind, and Morgana's remarks had dredged up old feelings he had managed to repress deeply. However, a part of him was still rather irritable and he still believed in what he told his friend.

 _'He thinks I have it so easy, that I don't have enough to deal with already. Does he not remember my position? What I've been through? How could he ignore that?'_ He questioned. Another part of him countered his thoughts. ' _But you know he wants to be human more than anything, why would you say something like that to him?'_ He cringed, trying not to acknowledge how wrongly he had acted during the fight.

A bump to his shoulder knocked him from his thoughts to find he'd made it Shibuya. He was a bit surprised to find that he had gone into auto-pilot and taken a familiar route to the busy streets of the glowing city. People were still out, bundled up in warm clothes and enjoying the last hour of open businesses. Some were already locked tight for the night, but many would still remain open into the late hours. He went for his pocket, but cursed upon realizing he had left his phone on his bed, not caring to pick it up when he had rushed out in a huff. A screen to his left displayed the hour in harsh, glowing neon. He had a good hour before the last train home, so he decided to at least make this outing somewhat productive. He headed toward Central Street with the plan of entering the Velvet Room. Shido's palace may have fallen, but there were still some requests to finish and he might as well prepare.

A wave of nausea overcame him suddenly, causing him to pause and clutch his head. Beads of sweat trailed down his temple, cascading to his jawline. _'Did I catch a cold? It_ is _flu season after all.'_ Undeterred, he continued to his destination. He wasn't, however, prepared for another wave to hit him, this time even stronger. He clutched his head in agony, overwhelmed by the suddenly onslaught. Akira had rounded the corner, the Velvet Room in sight, its faint blue glow now like a bright beacon in the murky, narrow alley. He squinted his eyes against the glare, its harsh light triggering his head to pound like a bass drum in his skull.

"It's pretty late for you Inmate. I'm surprised you're here at this time of night." Caroline greeted him with her usual smirk. She continued with her usual chiding but it was lost to the fogginess that had enshrouded Akira's mind. Had Akira been on a higher level of awareness, he may have been amused at the concern in her tone, or the hurriedness in which she moved to catch him as he finally collapsed under the fatigue of whatever illness had overcome him so suddenly. He definitely didn't catch the apparent fear in her cries as she spoke in his ear and dragged his limp body through the doorway and into the soft blue and melodic hymn of the Velvet Room.

Back in the stuffy attic of Café Leblanc, a certain member of the Phantom Thieves curled up in the empty bed, suddenly exhausted emotionally and physically from the events of the night.

Morgana awoke to soreness in his neck, a chill in the air, and a strangely empty space beside him. His mind slowly recalled the fight from the night before and the strange way Akira had been acting and responding to his usual jabs at him. The empty space next to him meant he either never went to bed that night, or he was already up. The latter was immediately dismissed; he had oddly slept like a rock last night but Akira waking up and moving would have definitely woken him up as well. It wasn't unusual for Akira to be missing in the morning, but with the happenings of last night, something was off. A yell from downstairs confirmed his suspicions.

"Akira? You up yet? It's nearly twelve, I need you to help me out today you lazy bum."

 _'Boss hasn't seen him either? Did he really not come home last night?'_ Groggily, Morgana opened his eyes to the dim attic. Akira was nowhere in sight, but even stranger did the attic seem to get _smaller_?

He went to stretch like usual but found his movements suddenly very awkward. Confused, he looked down and was met with a very unexpected surprise.

Two pale, pink, and lanky _human_ arms greeted his tired eyes and he had to take a moment to shake his head vigorously to make sure he wasn't still dreaming.

Nope.

The hands were still there.

The very much _human hands_ with _thumbs, soft nails, no fur-_

In that moment he screamed.

 **Ryuji S. :** Hey, anyone hear from Akira lately?

 **Ann T. :** Not since yesterday afternoon.

 **Ann T. :** Why?

 **Ryuji S. :** I'm a bit worried. He didn't respond to any of the messages last night or this morning. He doesn't speak much but he isn't usually _this_ quiet.

 **Yusuke K. :** I'm sure our leader is simply preoccupied with his multifarious endeavors.

 **Makoto N. :** Yusuke's right. I don't think there's reason to worry yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't even awake.

 **Ryuji S. :** True. Pretty sure that dude could sleep for days if we let him. It's just weird that he hasn't replied to anything.

 **Haru O. :** If we really want to be on the safe side, could not Futaba-chan check up on him?

 **Futaba S. :** I bet he's just snoozing away up there. I'm gonna eat lunch at Leblanc anyway, so I'll text you an update when I get there.

 **Makoto N. :** Satisfied?

 **Ryuji S. :** Mkay.

 **Ann T. :** I bet he's gonna laugh when he sees how worried you are Ryuji.

 **Ryuji** S. **:** Shut up!

Morgana heard bustling from below him and a shout of confusion, but he couldn't focus on that at the moment. His current thoughts were occupied by ' _Oh God what, how did this happen? Why am I human? How am I human? Is this a dream? An illusion?'_ His mind was racing through possibilities and he couldn't wrap his head around it. He reached his hands- _his human hands-_ up and felt his face. Round cheeks that moved into a slender, pointed chin. A small, round nose squished between delicate fingers. He reached for his hair; black as night and tussled, looking all too similar to a bird's nest.

The next moment he was broken out of his exploration of his new human body to hear a shout from below.

"What's going on up there? Akira, are you okay?" Sojiro's voice was edged with worry. Morgana paused, having no idea how to respond. The quiet was long and tense, and the cat-turned-boy was struggling to think of a way out of this. A rush of footsteps signaled Sojiro moving downstairs and it was in that moment Morgana realized something.

He was naked.

He was a complete stranger sitting naked in Akira's room, the boy nowhere to be found.

This would not look good.

As fast as possible he bundled the blanket on Akira's bed around his body, trying to cover up his indecency as best as possible. A moment later Sojiro's head popped up from the staircase, a pan in hand.

"Who the hell are you? And where's Akira?" He grilled, raising the pan in defense. He looked Morgana up and down, confused at the presence of the boy, and ready to swing if he showed any signs of hostility.

"Wait, Boss! You're not going to believe me but please hear me out for a moment!" Morgana pleaded, hands up in surrender.

"You've got five seconds to explain before I drag you out the front door." Sojiro eyed him warily, raising the pan higher as a threat.

"Okay okay! It's me, Morgana, the cat that's always with Akira? I know! It sounds crazy, but it's really me!" Sojiro let the pan drop slightly, his eyes widening.

"You expect me to believe you're _his_ _cat?"_

"Come on, out of all the things you've learned about recently, is this really the weirdest?" Morgana questioned, a deadpan expression painted across his face. Sojiro loosened up a bit.

"…True. I guess you're not wrong about that. Then tell me something only Morgana would know." Morgana thought for a moment and then came up with a response.

"When you first allowed Akira to take me in, you told him that you wanted to name me, and that 'I kept calling out in a cute little voice'. Then there's the whole business of Akira, myself, and our friends being the Phantom Thieves and changing hearts in the cognitive world. Is that enough proof?"

Sojiro looked a bit shocked at his response, only half expecting him to really have a good answer.

"So you're really him, huh? I'm actually speaking to Akira's cat?" He sighed. "I'm getting to old for this." He put the pan down and came closer to Morgana. "So, how exactly did you suddenly become a human being?" Morgana shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine, I just suddenly woke up like this." He gestured to the rest of his body.

"Strange… On a different note, Akira isn't up here, do you know where he went? Does he know you're…" He gestured to his new form.

"No, I woke up a minute ago and he wasn't here. I'm worried, I don't think he came home last night." Sojiro narrowed his eyes at this.

"What do you mean? I saw you two walk in before I closed up."

"Yes, but we may have had a little fight and he went out to get some air. I don't think he ever came back." He looked to the small device that still sat on the bed. "Looks like he left his phone behind too, so there's no way to contact him. This could be a problem." Morgana trailed off, still staring at Akira's discarded phone.

"It's not like him to stay out all night. Do you have any idea where he may have gone?" Morgana shook his head.

"No idea. I'm worried about him. What if he ran into trouble? What if he got hurt? If we didn't have that stupid fight we wouldn't be in this situation-

"Now hold on there, let's not go jumping to any conclusions just yet. It's his fault too for not taking his damn phone with him. Before we do anything we should probably check with his friends and see if they've seen him. You can contact them right?" Morgana nodded. "Good. Now, I'll see about getting you some clothes and some food. You're probably hungry right?" Morgana's eyes lit up.

"Food? Does that mean curry?" Morgana gasped, buzzing with excitement. Sojiro chuckled.

"I'll have it ready in a few, Futaba should be stopping in any minute now, so I need to prepare her a plate as well. Stay up here though till I can get you at least some pants. You can't exactly run around in the nude anymore, don't want you scaring away my customers." With that, Sojiro headed down the stairs.

Morgana reached for the phone, opening the Phantom Thieves group chat. After scrolling through the texts, Morgana wondered how he should break the news to the rest of the gang. On one hand, he'd miraculously turned human in a single night out of the blue. On the other, Akira was missing in action. Addressing himself as Morgana would cause a lot of confusion, and starting out with Akira having gone missing would make cause a bigger commotion and a lot of worry. It would be too much to explain in one text conversation. He then made his decision.

He fumbled with the phone for a moment. He knew how to work it from watching Akira use it so many times, but actually typing was a new experience for him.

 **Akira K. :** Hey guys.

 **Futaba S. :**!

 **Ann T. :** Ah! Akira!

 **Ann T. :** Look Ryuji, he's just fine.

 **Akira K. :** Um…

 **Ryuji S. :** Yeah yeah, laugh all you want.

 **Akira K. :** I actually need to tell you guys something.

 **Akira K. :** Can we all meet at Leblanc as soon as possible?

 **Makoto N. :** What's the matter? Is something wrong?

 **Akira K. :** Hopefully it's nothing, but it's important.

 **Haru O. :** I hope everything is okay!

 **Yusuke K. :** Does this have to do with your earlier silence?

 **Akira K. :** Partially. Just meet at Leblanc after school, okay?

 **Ryuji S. :** Got it!

 **Futaba S. :** I'll be there in like, 2 seconds! :U

Morgana sighed and dropped the phone to the bed. It was going to be weird revealing what happened to everyone, and they probably wouldn't appreciate him misleading them, but it's the safest way to go. Hopefully Akira would make his way back to Leblanc before they even arrived.

He tried to ignore the feeling of a pit opening in his stomach as he worried about his companion.

He'd be okay. He had to be.

* * *

 **Annnnd there's chapter one! We'll see what Akira's been up to next!**

 **Quick note about the fight between Akira and Mona:**

 **Really I'm using this as a tool for a reason for the transformation to occur (cough like freaky friday cough) so Akira is a little less apologetic than he probably should be. Oh well. To be honest, it's probably the weakest aspect of what I wanted to write in this story, so I hope it's not too over the top?...**


	2. Chapter 2

A familiar, melodic tune is what Akira slowly awoke to when he regained consciousness. His mind was foggy, but the melody of Velvet Room was unmistakable as he awakened.

He opened his eyes to the sight of his usual cell; the blue lining of the walls, the chains hanging from the ceiling, and soft light filtering in through iron bars. He briefly wondered at why he was called in his sleep, but through his grogginess he couldn't actually recall falling asleep the night before. A harsh, scolding voice brought him out of his thoughts, though he barely recognized the words being spoken.

Akira lifted his head but immediately regretted it as he was hit with a sudden wave of vertigo. _'Sitting up; not a good idea'_ he groaned in his mind.

A sudden chuckle from afar caught his attention.

"Seems the inmate has had an interesting… Fate brought upon him." Igor's deep voice spoke from his customary desk in the center of the prison.

' _What is he going on about?'_

"You've gotten yourself into quite the predicament, Inmate." Justine chided in her mellow tone.

"How the hell did you manage this one?" Caroline scolded.

"What are you talking about?" He finally asked, attempting to sit up. That's when he started to realize something was very wrong.

First, he never remembered the walls of his small cell being so _tall._ Everything felt like it grew two sizes, and Caroline and Justine's looming presence over him was not just an effect of him lying down. What was going on here?

Caroline smirked.

"You hadn't noticed? Typical. Take a look at yourself and you might get it." She scoffed.

"Take a look at myself? I don't get what you're implying-"

Oh.

Oh no.

Akira peered down at himself and had to do a few takes to make sure what he was seeing was correct. From what he could see of himself, his long fur was a dusty black with some slight curl to the tips.

' _This cannot be happening right now.'_ His mind went into a panic and he quickly circled himself, spotting a long, fluffy tail that whipped behind him in his confused agitation. He wiggled the appendage a bit to make sure it was really attached to him.

"I think he makes for a pretty cute cat, right Justine?" Caroline chided. Justine sighed.

"Caroline, it will be hard for the Inmate to complete his rehabilitation as a feline. How are we supposed to help him if he's no longer human?" Caroline's smile dropped at Justine's comment.

"Hey, Inmate. You better figure out how to fix this soon. I don't want our roles as wardens to be considered a failure because you went and got yourself changed into a cat of all things!"

Akira, meanwhile, was still flailing about, not one hundred percent sure how his cat body worked yet. ' _Dumb four legs, can't stand right yet, and dammit! This tail is-'_

Tripping over himself, he tumbled off the bed and onto the floor in a heap of fur and hissing. He rolled back onto his belly, giving up on standing on four legs for now and settling on just laying down on the cold concrete. Caroline giggled at his antics while Justine watched amused.

"You may be an okay thief, but you're a pretty horrible cat!" Caroline chuckled.

"How am I even supposed to do this?" Akira groaned.

"Girls, I will leave getting him situated to you two. Trickster, heed these words. It seems someone has given you this form as ramifications for recent actions. You must discover what the proper solution to this predicament is and solve it so that you may regain your true form. Otherwise, I fear you may remain in this state for the rest of your life." Akira's eyes widened, the weight of what Igor was describing now firmly resting in his mind.

"Alright Inmate. We'll get you steady on all four paws, but then you gotta figure the rest out for yourself!"

' _What did I do to deserve this…'_

"Here kid. You can borrow these for the time being. They're Futaba's old clothes, but they should fit you well enough."

Sojiro handed Morgana a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. The boy was still currently wrapped in Akira's blanket and as nude as a newborn. He took the clothing with a quick thank you.

"I told Futaba to wait downstairs. Would be awkward for her to walk in on you like this. I'll let you get changed. If you need anything, we're right downstairs." Leaving it at that, he turned to walk back downstairs. Morgana could hear Futaba questioning the man about being so secretive, but he seemed to wave it away.

Morgana stripped himself of the blanket and immediately shivered at the sudden chill that hit his skin. _'Cat fur sure does come in handy in cold weather'._ He slipped on the sweat pants as best as possible, tying the drawstring so they wouldn't slip off his body. He grabbed the t-shirt, noting the faded smiling Big Bang Burger-kun that stared back at him. It was soft despite its age, and he spent a moment just running his fingers through the fabric. ' _Is touch always this sensitive to human skin?'_

He breathed in a long breath and let it out. He should be ecstatic to greet his friends in his new form. He'd been looking forward to this for so long now, so why did he suddenly feel so nervous?

' _Is it because Akira isn't here? Am I missing his encouragement that much?'_

It was true that he did find himself relying on Akira's assurances during his time with his friend. Whenever Morgana had doubted himself Akira was always there to believe in him, to tell him that his dream was possible. Even when he had had a falling out with the Phantom Thieves and had wanted to leave, Akira had put his faith in him that he would come back, and when he did he welcomed him with open arms.

Morgana shook his head.

' _I have to do this without him. What kind of phantom thief would I be if I can't stand on my own?'_

With new resolve he made his way to the steps. He quietly headed down and as he made it to the landing he made a sharp turn into the bathroom and shut the door quickly. He flipped the light on and turned to face the mirror, bracing himself for the sight.

A young boy of about twelve or thirteen stood in the reflection. His hair was tousled and messy, reminding him strongly of Akira's bedhead. Round blue eyes gazed back at him from a round yet slim face. The shirt and pants were baggy on him, so oversized they made his skinny arms and neck that much more prominent than before. He scowled and his reflection mimicked him, deep furrows burrowing themselves into his young face.

' _Why did I have to be a kid? I couldn't at least have been a teen?'_ He ran a hand through his hair. ' _Guess I'll have to deal with it.'_

He flipped the light off and opened the door, taking a step out into the café. Futaba was seated on a barstool at the counter, a spoonful of curry in her mouth.

"Af goob af alwaf Sobiwo" She garbled out through a mouthful of rice and curry.

"Chew and swallow before you talk, Futaba." Sojiro laughed, moving to pick up a dirty mug from the counter. When the two noticed Morgana, Sojiro stopped what he was doing and Futaba swallowed her food.

"Who's the kid? I don't see any other customers around." She went for another spoonful of curry.

"Well that's uhh-"

"Don't recognize me like this Futaba? I'm kinda surprised." Morgana smirked, moving over to stand next to her.

Futaba spit her food out and the spoon made a loud thunk as it was dropped. She whipped her head look at him, shocked.

"No way. Morgana? Is that really you?"

"Surprised by my manly charm?" He stood proudly, chest puffed out. Futaba reached out and grabbed his cheeks.

"Ah! Shtop that!" Morgana growled.

"Yep, that's totally Mona. Tactless as always and the same chubby cheeks. But, this is all so weird and sudden. How did you suddenly just become human? We didn't even recover all of your memories yet." Shrugging, Morgana moved to sit down at the bar.

"Not really sure, but we should probably wait for the others to get here before we go into detail."

"Alright. They probably won't be here for a few hours though, they still have school to go to and all. Speaking of the others, where'd Akira run off to?" Futaba asked, peering around Morgana to look at the stairs to the attic.

"Yeah about that…" Morgana began, cringing.

"We're not sure where he is, he never made it home last night." Sojiro picked up for him. Futaba went wide-eyed.

"He never came back? Then I'm guessing it was you who was texting us Mona?" Morgana nodded. "Is he okay? He could be in serious trouble." Futaba prattled on, worry donning her face.

"He's probably fine, he can take care of himself. Once the others get here we can properly discus what to do about this. For now, all we can do is wait." Futaba gave a sad hum in affirmation. Neither of them liked sitting around when their leader was in possible danger, but all that's all they could really do.

"In the mean time… Morgana, how about I introduce you to the amazing world of console gaming." Futaba grinned. Before he could even reply, Futaba had grabbed ahold of his wrist and dragged him off his stool and up the stairs.

"You have to be the clumsiest cat I've ever seen."

"Give me some credit, I wasn't exactly born like this."

"How hard can it really be to walk on all fours?"

"Granted, this was all thrust upon him at once. He is doing much better than when he first woke up."

"At least Justine appreciates my efforts."

"Sh-shuttup!"

Akira had been practicing for a good half hour and finally managed to at least be steady on four legs. He wasn't exactly adept or even comfortable yet on his paws- _feet-_ but he was getting there. Caroline and Justine had been coaching him to the best of their ability through the bars of the cell. They couldn't exactly help him physically, since the door was firmly locked, but they shouted mostly criticism through metal door. The small ball and chain was still tight on his back ankle, which made moving around all the more difficult.

Finally, he was able to take steps without tripping over his tail or his own feet. He attempted some jumps onto the small bed, and although unsteady, he was able to roughly judge distance and power needed.

It was strange to be able to jump so far. Only in the Metaverse was he able to leap so high, but the form he was in now seemed so much more _powerful_ in comparison.

His sense were heightened beyond anything he had experienced before as well. He could hear the tiny scratches of Igor's quill against parchment as he wrote at his desk, and the clinks of chains in a far off cell. He could smell an icy mint scent that seemed to drift off the denizens of the Velvet Room and luckily overpowered whatever scents lingered around his cell that were less than pleasant.

In short it was all very weird.

"Think he's ready Justine?" Caroline asked, turning toward her sister.

"Probably not, but we can't coddle him any longer. It's time for you to leave, Inmate." Justine replied. "You're going to have to navigate by yourself, for we cannot accompany you outside the Velvet Room." Akira nodded.

"Shouldn't be too hard, I do it everyday." _'Just have to get back to Leblanc and get my friends to help me out. Shouldn't be too hard, right?'_ Caroline smirked.

"Better hope you're right. Don't go getting yourself killed out there, got it?" Akira sent her a snide grin.

"I won't." He answered. The twins both nodded towards him. A glow suddenly lit up behind him and he took this as his cue to exit.

When Akira stepped out into the back alley of Shibuya, he was assaulted on all sides by information. He could hear the crowds of the bustling street clear as day from the alley, and the smell of mold and rot was like death to his nose. He wrinkled his face in disgust and shook himself out, trying to rid his sinuses of the foul odor. As he padded towards Central Street he was thankful for the thick fur coat protecting him from the harsh December air.

When he reached the street he was suddenly proposed with a problem.

' _Man people are really_ tall' _._

The crowds loomed over him like towers, and their feet now seemed like deadly weapons ready to step on or kick his small form.

' _Alright let's stick to the edges of the street, I can't get hit if I don't go into the- AH!'_

He leapt back as someone stepped out from a storefront, shopping bags swinging from their arm almost smacking him. The person stopped and peered down at him.

"Awww kitty! Look at him, he's so fluffy!" The woman cooed to her friend, who also now stopped and noticed Akira at their feet.

' _Not good not good. Dammit, curse my kitty charm. Stop, no, don't admit that.'_

"Hey little guy, are you lost?" She bent down to his level, reaching out a hand to Akira.

' _No I'm not lost, and I'd appreciate if you didn't- HEY!'_ Akira shrunk away from the girl's hand as it rubbed his head. His ears went flat to his skull and he bolted, leaving the girl in shocked surprise.

"Aw, must have scared him." He could hear her sad sigh from his new position behind a garbage can twenty feet away.

' _I can't get caught up like that, or someone will pick me up thinking I'm lost or a stray! Gotta be more careful. Now think… I have to make it to the train and somehow sneak on without anybody noticing.'_

Back to his original plan, Akira made his way along the outskirts of the street, taking tiny back alleys and alternative routes when he could to avoid the sight of any cat lovers walking around. Luckily he was dark in color, so he easily blended into the shadows.

Finally he emerged in the square. He looked out at the mass of people, a sense of dread burying itself in his stomach.

' _That's a lot of people I need to get past.'_

The crowd was fairly heavy, and to get to the station he had to cross the street and get into the subway. He gulped, steeled himself, and then made a dash through the mass of pedestrians.

There were shouts and yells as he made his way underfoot. His heart stopped a few times as he narrowly avoided getting kicked or tripped slightly on his paws, but finally he breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to the station. He jumped into the bed of bushes that lined the street and took a moment to catch his breath from his death sprint across the clearing.

' _Never doing that ever again.'_

Breathing restored, he hopped down from the ledge and headed towards the train station. To get to Leblanc he had to somehow sneak onto the train headed toward Yongen Jaya, but this would be difficult.

' _Come on, you've infiltrated plenty of palaces, you can sneak on one stupid train.'_

He made his way down the stairs and toward the entrance. Nobody seemed to be watching closely, so he quickly slipped through the gate and headed for the platform. A voice sounded on the overhead stating the next train was arriving soon.

' _Alright wait for it… Gotta find the right person… There!'_

As the train pulled into the station, he dashed for a woman holding a rather large shopping bag. He maneuvered himself under it, and to the best of his ability crawled with her as she boarded. When she went to sit and set her bag down, he moved himself under the seat and situated himself between the bag and the wall.

' _So far so good.'_

He sat still until the overhead announced the train had arrived at Yongen Jaya. The moment the doors opened he was on his feet and out the door.

' _Just a little bit farther, almost there.'_

* * *

 **There you have it, chapter 2!**

 **I was going to include the meeting with the p-thieves in here but decided to save it for next chapter. I think it will flow a bit better to save it for next time, soooo the big reveal will be next chapter!**

 **Till next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry about the wait for this :,D I started back up college and then the hurricane hit and I had to evacuate and now I'm back at school, so everything's been a bit of a mess OTL Oh well, got around to finishing this, so I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

"Yo, Boss, sorry we're all just dropping in so suddenly." Ryuji greeted.

The motley group of thieves, minus one technophile, filed in through the door to Café Leblanc. School had finished for the day and the moment the students were free, the teens had gathered, not wasting any time. They promptly arrived in Yongen Jaya and were eager to see what was so important they had to meet face to face. The café was empty, aside from Sojiro behind the counter.

"No worries, I knew you were coming. I'll let the kids know you're here." Sojiro walked off towards the direction of the attic.

Ann and Haru snagged a booth while Ryuji pulled out a barstool. Yusuke chose to stand, leaning slightly against one of the booths. Makoto paused for a moment in thought, then slowly took a seat next to Haru.

"Why do you think he asked us to meet? Think it's just a request?" Ryuji asked the group.

"Unlikely. He wouldn't have been so vague if that was the case." Makoto replied, her hand held to her chin in thought. The rest of the thieves hummed in agreement, confusion and worry written across several faces.

Makoto was anxious about this meeting. She hadn't known Akira for a particularly long time, only a few months, but she felt she knew him enough to see that this was unusual. The previous night she had dismissed Akira's absence as being harmless, but the more she thought about it the more her mind was plagued with worry. Ryuji was right; Akira was usually fairly prompt in his replies to the group. His sudden reappearance that morning had settled her turbulent thoughts but the call for an urgent meeting right after just dredged it all back up again. Did something really happen yesterday? She shook her head, clearing her clouded mind.

"Well, we don't have to wait long to find out." Ann said. The sound of stairs creaking resounded through the small café, and a moment later three figures rounded the corner. Sojiro was the first to emerge, followed closely by Futaba, gripping the hand of what appeared to be a young boy.

"Uhh who's the kid? Akira got a sibling or cousin or something? And speaking of which, where is he? And where's Mona?" Ryuji asked, breaking the silence.

Makoto looked the boy over. Indeed, she could see some resemblance to Akira in his face and hair. It wouldn't be a surprise if they were related. Akira never mentioned any siblings though, so it would be a wonder as to why one would show up at a time like this.

Futaba chuckled.

"You're never going to believe it guys." Futaba smirked, obviously excited. A long sigh dragged out of the boy.

"Oh Ryuji, you're as dull as ever." The boy commented, picking at the undersides of his nails.

Everyone's eyes went wide, and Makoto could hear a gasp of surprise from Haru. _'It can't be, that voice!'_

"No way." Ann let out.

"M-Morgana?" Makoto stuttered.

"Wait, for real? Is that really you Morgana?" Ryuji exclaimed, his eyes round in shock. The boy let out a chuckle.

"It is I! The great Morgana, finally in my rightful form!" He puffed up his chest and stood proudly. Ryuji scoffed.

"That's definitely him all right, with that attitude. Figures you'd turn out to be some snot nosed brat."

"Hey, I might be small but I'm still not as useless as you, Ryuji." Morgana bristled.

"What did you-"

"Alright that's enough you two." Makoto intervened. They both backed down, settling for shooting glares at each other. Even when there was no reason to bicker the two could somehow start a fight from nothing. Typical.

"Wow, they always like this?" Sojiro questioned.

"You have no idea…" Ann sighed.

"Mona-chan you're so cute! I'm so happy you've finally become a human." Haru cheered. Morgana blushed.

"Thanks, Haru." He replied, a tight smile spread across his rosy face.

"Incredible, how did you manage to do it? Did Akira figure out a method? Speaking of which, where is our leader? He still seems to be absent." Yusuke inquired.

"About that, that's why I asked you all to come here." Morgana said, looking down at his feet.

"You were the one that sent that message?" Ann asked. Morgana nodded.

"Akira's missing." He blurted out quickly. Makoto felt like her heart skipped a beat.

"Missing?" Haru exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" Ann questioned, confused.

"For real?"

"Morgana, start from the beginning, what exactly happened?" Makoto said sternly. Morgana swallowed.

"Well, last night after Akira got back we might have got in a fight, and he might have walked out without his phone on him." Morgana grumbled.

"You got in a fight?" Yusuke asked.

"Yeah, it was really stupid too. Akira said he was envious of me and I might have gotten a bit frustrated, but he was really irritable it seemed." He explained, shuffling his feet slightly.

"So you two got angry at each other, he walked out, and then you woke up and were… human." Makoto went back through the information. Morgana nodded in affirmation.

"Yes. That's the gist of what happened."

"Well, this isn't good." Ann murmured.

"What should we do?" Haru asked.

"We have to find him!" Futaba declared. Yusuke nodded.

"You're right. But where do we even start?"

"Morgana, do you have any idea of where he might have gone?" Makoto asked.

"I'm not sure. He could have gone anywhere really."

"Then we'll have to split up, cover more ground." Makoto proposed. "We can look into different places he might have gone and see if we can find any trace of him."

"That sounds like a good plan." Morgana responded.

"I'll stay back and see if I can dig up anything online. If I hack into the police database and hospital records I can check if he's turned up recently anywhere." Futaba suggested.

"Good idea. As for the rest of us, let's break off into pairs." Makoto explained. "How about… Ann and Haru, you're together, Yusuke and Morgana will be a team, and Ryuji, you're with me." Everyone nodded in understanding. "If anyone finds anything, message the rest of us."

"You kids be careful out there, who knows what trouble that kid's run into." Sojiro warned from behind the counter.

"Don't worry Boss, we'll bring him back safe and sound." Ann assured him. Sojiro grunted in response.

"Alright, if we all know what we're doing, let's not waste anymore time." Makoto slid out of the booth and headed for the door, the rest of the Phantom Thieves in pursuit.

"Keep an eye on Morgana, okay Yusuke? We don't want him getting into any trouble his first day as a human." Ann giggled.

"Hey! I don't need a baby sitter." Morgana protested.

"Sure you don't." Ryuji remarked, ruffling Morgana's hair. He swatted Ryuji's hands away and looked up indignantly.

"Alright, let's get our leader back!" Futaba proclaimed.

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji followed up. With an excited energy they left the café, though Makoto couldn't let go the nervous feeling that this wouldn't be as easy as they hoped.

' _Come on, come on, almost there. Can't these stupid short legs go any faster?'_

Akira rounded a corner and sighed in relief, seeing the familiar backstreets of Yongen Jaya. The station was close to his temporary residence, but as a cat it seemed miles farther than usual. He picked up his pace, knowing his home was only a few blocks away.

He ran down the street, spooking a few passing people and a pet dog, but he paid them no heed. He just wanted to get home so he could end this nightmare. _'We'll figure this out somehow. I can't be stuck as a cat forever. That's simply not happening.'_

He rounded the last corner and immediately was hit with the drifting aroma of coffee. He took a deep breath, taking in the familiar scent. He could hear the jingle of Leblanc's door bell, and a moment later one by one his friends exited the establishment.

' _Yes! They're already here!'_ He sped down the alleyway, coming to a stop in front of the group. " _Hey! Down here!"_ He called out. A moment later his heart dropped to his stomach. ' _Oh no, don't tell me…'_

"Hey! Someone? You can hear me right? Please tell me I don't just sound like a cat!" Akira called out, panic now evident in his voice. Makoto glanced around and then looked down in Akira's direction.

"A cat?" She murmured. Everyone else turned to look at Akira and he found himself shrinking back under all the stares.

"Aww! Look at him, he's so pretty." Haru cooed.

' _Man, is this what we all looked like to Morgana? We're like giants- wait, Morgana! Where is he?'_ He padded his way through the group, but the cat was nowhere to be seen. That's when he noticed the new _human_ addition to the group.

' _Wait a minute, if I'm a cat does that mean…'_

"Come on, we don't have time to sit around and look at a stray, we have to find Akira." The newcomer said.

' _Yep, that's him alright, but wait, no! I'm right here!'_

" _Guys come on! You have to recognize me!"_ He quickly trotted over to Makoto's leg and wrapped himself around her.

"Man, he's a loud one." Ryuji commented.

"And affectionate." Makoto grumbled, trying to shoo Akira away with her foot. "Sorry little guy, but we have to go." Akira whined, not knowing how to translate his current status to his teammates. He cursed, watching them walk towards the train station. Morgana looked back at him for a few moments before turning forward and following the others.

' _I have to make them understand somehow..'_ With that he took off after them.

"Man this is getting us nowhere, Shibuya is too effing big." Ryuji sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in irritation.

"It is rather unfortunate, but we have to keep looking." Makoto was at the end of her wits as well, but kept trying to keep her head high with optimism. The two had questioned the locals and storeowners for the past hour but no one seemed to have spotted the frizzy haired boy. The only lead they had is a late night worker had seen him walk by the previous night, but hadn't seen him since.

"It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. At this rate, Akira is as good as gone."

"Don't say that, we do have a decent lead. Maybe the others have had some better luck?" Makoto suggested.

"Feel like they would have said somethin'." Ryuji murmured, pulling out his phone and scrolling through the chat. Makoto did the same though nothing new had been sent within the last ten minutes. She paused when she saw Ryuji suddenly jerk his head to his right. "Yo, do you see what I see?"

"What do you mean?"

Ryuji pointed down the street where a fluffy black cat was walking in their direction. It seemed to pause as it noticed their stares, but then resumed at a more comfortable pace.

"That can't be the same one from before right?" Ryuji asked, dumbfounded.

"It sure looks like it." Makoto said, mystified as well by the strange feline.

"Did it follow us?"

"Now that I think about it, I think I saw it a few times while we were searching Shibuya. It's possible it did tail us."

"All the way to Shibuya? What, did it take the train?"

"It's unlikely, but not impossible. It could have walked as well. Regardless, it's almost time to meet back up with everyone, let's go." Makoto finished, turning away.

As they made their way back to the station, Makoto kept a watchful eye on the dusty feline. Sure enough, it was following behind at a distance. What could possibly be the reason for it to follow them specifically? Was it their clothing? Their scent? Regardless, it was all rather odd and was starting to unsettle her slightly.

They made their way through the station to the train that would connect them to Yongen Jaya. As Makoto took a seat, she pulled out her phone to once again check to see if anyone had found him yet. There still seemed to be no luck, and now she was beginning to grow worried.

After their return announcement across the screens of Shibuya, the secret of Akira's survival was blown. Anyone who knew of his true identity now knew he wasn't so dead anymore. This left him in a troublesome area. She didn't think they'd act before election day, but was it possible that Shido's men had gotten their hands on him? She clenched her hands, fingernails digging sharply into her palm and her knuckles going white. She chewed at her bottom lip, anxiety and worry for her friend suddenly eating at her.

"Hey, you okay? You look a bit shaken." Ryuji inquired, sensing her stress. Makoto shook her head.

"I'm fine, it's just…"

"You're worried, aren't you?" She sighed.

"What if Shido's men got him Ryuji? What if he's hurt and alone and has no way out?" Ryuji reeled back at the sudden outburst.

"Woah hey, it's okay. If anyone can deal with those guys, it's definitely Akira. Trust me, we'll get him back, no matter where he is." Makoto nodded.

"Thanks, I know I should have more faith in him, it's just this has never happened before."

"Don't worry, you'll see. He'll be home in no time." He gave her a confident smile and Makoto gave him one of her own, though beyond that she could see in his eyes that he was just as worried as she is. He put on the strong façade, but below she could see the deep unrest that came from his closest friend disappearing without a trace.

Both were suddenly thrown out of the moment however when a stream of curses and shouts sounded from down the train. Makoto sat up, straining to see through the crowd of people. There were more shouts and yelps and it seemed people were throwing themselves out of the way.

"For real? You won't believe this." Ryuji said in shock.

"What do you mean?" Makoto leaned forward to get a better look.

A security man was charging through the crowd of passengers, and ahead of him darted a fuzzy black shape. It scrambled around and under and over people's legs and laps, avoiding the grasp of the officer trying to apprehend it. When it finally reached Makoto she jumped as it leaped into her lap, pressing its head into her stomach. Shocked, all she could do was hold the poor thing as it trembled in her grasp. In her stupor she didn't notice the security guard approach her, and it took Ryuji nudging her to break her free.

"Excuse me miss, could you please hand over the cat? Stupid thing snuck onto the train and caused quite the disturbance." She stared back at him, still slightly in shock over the turn of events, and the black furball hissed back at the officer's comment. He reached down, trying to pull the cat from her lap, but it yowled and hooked its claws into her leggings, obviously very intent on not leaving. Her thoughts raced for a moment, and a startling realization washed over her.

"Sorry officer, I think I left a window open and he followed me out. He's quite attached to me, you see. I'll make sure he gets home." She spoke calmly, trying to push her act into sincerity, and softly pulled the struggling cat back into her lap/

The officer seemed skeptical and a bit bewildered, but didn't push it. "Alright, just make sure he's off with you at your stop. And miss, I recommend locking your windows from now on."

"Yes sir, will do." She gave him a smile. The officer turned away, grumbling to himself. Makoto sighed in relief.

"Uhhh Makoto, why did you help the cat?" Ryuji wondered, looking at the fluffy form in her lap.

"I was thinking…" The cat looked up at her, staring with intense grey eyes. It meowed at her and pawed at her stomach, as if trying to get her attention. "It obviously has a reason to be following us, and it knows how to use the trains." Makoto explained. "So now I'm wondering…"

' _Strange how the day that Morgana becomes a human, a cat appears and seems to have an attachment to us. Not only did it come to Leblanc, but it followed us to Shibuya and back. It also knew to come to me when it was chased. It's a stretch and could totally be a coincidence, but if I'm right…'_

"Makoto? You okay there?" Ryuji waved his hand in front of her face and she snapped her head back toward him and then to the cat.

"You're probably not going to believe this, but…" She lifted the cat from under his arms and held him aloft in front of her. He mewled and struggled in her grip, obviously not liking being held like this. "Akira?" She asked, feeling a bit silly. Her heart skipped a beat as the cat's ears pricked and its eyes became saucers. It meowed in response, wiggling even more.

"Wait what? You're suggesting that cat is Akira? How is that even possible?" If cats could give a deadpanned look, the supposedly-Akira kitty shot Ryuji the annoyed glare he could. He mewed and lashed his tail about and Makoto had to relinquish her grip and settle for placing him in her lap.

"I feel like his response settles it. Think about it, Morgana suddenly becomes human and then this cat starts following us everywhere? Not to mention it seems intelligent." Makoto offered. Ryuji looked uncertain, but seemed to come to agree.

"Is that really you, dude?" Ryuji asked. The cat meowed a short quip and flicked his fluffy tail. "Sheesh, how'd you get yourself into this mess. More importantly, how do we get you out of it?" Akira turned his head away; ears drooped, obviously a little despondent about the situation.

"We'll figure it out, for now we have to meet back up with everyone and we'll make a plan from there."

* * *

 **Wooo almost done this weird intro section, and then we can get to some shenanigans. Also, you may be wondering why no one can hear Akira?**

 **Some of the functions of the metaverse are kinda odd, but I'm going off of the idea that it's similar to Morgana in they haven't heard him speak yet. Since Akira was only ever human, their cognition hasn't changed in the metaverse. So no cat speak. At least, not yet ;)**

 **Also, if you want to see my idea of Akira kitty, here's a drawing I did a while back:**

twitter lextheglider/status/891830282415992833

Thanks for reading!


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